As a parent of four children I can relate to being on my way to getting a job done when I encounter one or more of my kids wanting something from me or wanting to get in on the act (it's just happened again as I type these words). It can be a real battle to finish anything in life with all the other challenges that meet us on a daily basis. There is a real battle which all Christians face, a battle where all manner of situations are encountered and dealt with at the same time. This is THE BATTLE OF GOING TO A PLACE OF PRAYER. I draw our attention to such an occasion mentioned in the Bible and the helpful lessons it has for us:
Once WHEN WE WERE GOING TO THE PLACE OF PRAYER, WE WERE MET by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling (Acts 16v6 emphasis mine).
A significant and positive change is about to take place in the woman's life as Paul & his companions journey to the place of prayer. Forces are in play which want to interfere with how God is changing lives through their prayers and their missionary activities for His glory. As we journey to quality prayer time with God spiritual forces opposed to the positive outcomes this leads to want to disrupt this process:
For our struggle is not against flesh & blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6v12).
What exactly meets Paul and his companions and what threatens disruption for them?
This girl followed Paul & the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." She kept this up for many days...(Acts 16v17-18a).
Notice from v16 that the spirit the girl has is not of God but rather a spirit which leans solely to one interest - predicting the future. Although this spirit is opposed to God it nevertheless recognises:
1) The servants of God;
2) God Most High;
3) The true means of human salvation.
This also makes me think of the loud recognition of 'God Most High' from the Demon possessed Man in Mark's gospel who shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? (Mark 5v7). This shouting points to something being wrong and which needs dealing with. On the surface, the shouting of the slave girl could be perceived as a fan cheering on God's people but this is actually the seducing charm of the enemy spirit within her who recognises God at work but really just wants to stop it even if there is an underlying fascination with the mission of God. The genuine Spirit of God within Paul prompts him that something is not right; the girl's shouting needs dealing with. The paradox of her shouting is that it is both a cry for help from the girl herself who is being exploited as well as attempted disruption from the spirit within her who wants to steal the spotlight from God.
A note about shouting - not all shouting is bad; there is a place in the Bible for corporate shouting:
- At the 7th time of marching around Jericho the people follow God's command delivered through Joshua to shout in unison as the trumpet is blasted (see Joshua 6v10,16)
- Under God's instruction Gideon has the men who are with him to attack the Midianites shout all together at the sound of the trumpets (see Judges 7v18,20)
- The Psalmist encourages us to shout for joy to the Lord (see Psalm 98 & Psalm 100)
- A reading of Revelation underlines that Heaven is not going to be a quiet place!
BUT and it is a HUGE But...
'Lone Ranger' shouting which isn't scripted by God, as in the case of this slave girl, is not a good thing as it draws attention off God and onto a 'personality'. This kind of shouting unsettles people, making them uncomfortable in the wrong kind of way. People would rather be somewhere else. If something is influencing us to shout as an individual then something is wrong and needs dealing with. As one who has over 20yrs experience of preaching and teaching from God's Word I have learned to leave it to The Holy Spirit to confirm God's Word. In the early days I was sometimes a 'bit of a shouter'. I do not preach like this anymore. I can be passionate for God without shouting. God's Spirit draws people - He doesn't need someone shouting on His behalf.
A note about listening to the Holy Spirit - The interesting thing about Paul's initial response to the shouting slave girl is that he allows the shouting to continue for several days. This points to the leading of The Holy Spirit and the discernment He gifts to the believer in Christ. As Jesus is about to leave his disciples on route to the ultimate sacrifice he tells them He will not leave them as orphans (John 14v18) but will send his Spirit to guide them into all truth and take from what is his and make it known to them (ref John 16v13, 14-15).
God ensured that the apostle Paul was prayed for to be filled with this Spirit after his Damascus rd experience (see Acts 9v17). Paul advises the church to keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5v16); he advises also that one of the gifts the Spirit gives is the distinguishing between spirits (1 Corinthians 12v10) and urges believers to 'test everything' (1 Thessalonians 5v21). The writer of 1 John echoes this with the call to test the spirits to see whether they are from God (1 John 4v1). This is exactly what Paul does in the context of this slave girl - he tests what is going on in the spiritual realm. He weighs things and trusts the leading of the Holy Spirit within him. He allows the disrupting counterfeit activity of spiritual forces opposed to God to continue for several days because God is at work in the situation as well and it would, therefore, be unwise to jump in straight away to confront. That would be the natural human way to react but the Spirit of God teaches us to react differently.
This is relevant for us today. As we journey to 'the place of prayer' or gather to hear from God the enemy will always instigate some kind of 'counterfeit activity'. We must not jump into confrontation with the enemy straight away before 'discerning in the Spirit' how God wants us to act. The apostle Paul does not want to 'quench' the Spirit's activity because counterfeit activity is taking place so he waits for prompting from God as to the 'when' to confront. He sticks to God's timetable, not his own. We must do the same and be open to receive the Holy Spirit's discernment.
Let's briefly walk over the steps Paul treads as he confronts the situation:
- HE TURNS ROUND (v18). There is a time to carry on regardless and a time to turn round and face something head on. When the Holy Spirit at work within us takes a step which involves turning round we must be tuned in to keep in step and turn around.
- HE SPEAKS TO THE ISSUE (v18). Paul has the confidence to do this because he is in regular prayerful communication with God and urges us to practice the same: be constant in prayer (Romans 12v12); keep on praying (Ephesians 6v18); pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5v17). We can only speak to those mountains and giants we meet based on the strength of our prayer lives. Our spiritual enemy (the devil; ref 1 Peter 5v8) wants to keep us from the place of prayer through any amount of discouragement, doubt and distractions. This is because there is awareness in the spiritual realm that God works His power through our prayers to bring about wonderful results (see James 5v16). A prayerful life is a firm foundation to speak to each obstacle thrown at us in confident expectation God will act.
- HE SPEAKS THE NAME OF JESUS (v18). The bible is crystal clear: There is no other name higher than the name of Jesus (Philippians 2v9) and we are advised that everything has been placed under his authority (Ephesians 1v22; Heb 2v8). We are to keep the words of Jesus ever before us:
1) The servants of God;
2) God Most High;
3) The true means of human salvation.
This also makes me think of the loud recognition of 'God Most High' from the Demon possessed Man in Mark's gospel who shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? (Mark 5v7). This shouting points to something being wrong and which needs dealing with. On the surface, the shouting of the slave girl could be perceived as a fan cheering on God's people but this is actually the seducing charm of the enemy spirit within her who recognises God at work but really just wants to stop it even if there is an underlying fascination with the mission of God. The genuine Spirit of God within Paul prompts him that something is not right; the girl's shouting needs dealing with. The paradox of her shouting is that it is both a cry for help from the girl herself who is being exploited as well as attempted disruption from the spirit within her who wants to steal the spotlight from God.
A note about shouting - not all shouting is bad; there is a place in the Bible for corporate shouting:
- At the 7th time of marching around Jericho the people follow God's command delivered through Joshua to shout in unison as the trumpet is blasted (see Joshua 6v10,16)
- Under God's instruction Gideon has the men who are with him to attack the Midianites shout all together at the sound of the trumpets (see Judges 7v18,20)
- The Psalmist encourages us to shout for joy to the Lord (see Psalm 98 & Psalm 100)
- A reading of Revelation underlines that Heaven is not going to be a quiet place!
BUT and it is a HUGE But...
'Lone Ranger' shouting which isn't scripted by God, as in the case of this slave girl, is not a good thing as it draws attention off God and onto a 'personality'. This kind of shouting unsettles people, making them uncomfortable in the wrong kind of way. People would rather be somewhere else. If something is influencing us to shout as an individual then something is wrong and needs dealing with. As one who has over 20yrs experience of preaching and teaching from God's Word I have learned to leave it to The Holy Spirit to confirm God's Word. In the early days I was sometimes a 'bit of a shouter'. I do not preach like this anymore. I can be passionate for God without shouting. God's Spirit draws people - He doesn't need someone shouting on His behalf.
A note about listening to the Holy Spirit - The interesting thing about Paul's initial response to the shouting slave girl is that he allows the shouting to continue for several days. This points to the leading of The Holy Spirit and the discernment He gifts to the believer in Christ. As Jesus is about to leave his disciples on route to the ultimate sacrifice he tells them He will not leave them as orphans (John 14v18) but will send his Spirit to guide them into all truth and take from what is his and make it known to them (ref John 16v13, 14-15).
God ensured that the apostle Paul was prayed for to be filled with this Spirit after his Damascus rd experience (see Acts 9v17). Paul advises the church to keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5v16); he advises also that one of the gifts the Spirit gives is the distinguishing between spirits (1 Corinthians 12v10) and urges believers to 'test everything' (1 Thessalonians 5v21). The writer of 1 John echoes this with the call to test the spirits to see whether they are from God (1 John 4v1). This is exactly what Paul does in the context of this slave girl - he tests what is going on in the spiritual realm. He weighs things and trusts the leading of the Holy Spirit within him. He allows the disrupting counterfeit activity of spiritual forces opposed to God to continue for several days because God is at work in the situation as well and it would, therefore, be unwise to jump in straight away to confront. That would be the natural human way to react but the Spirit of God teaches us to react differently.
This is relevant for us today. As we journey to 'the place of prayer' or gather to hear from God the enemy will always instigate some kind of 'counterfeit activity'. We must not jump into confrontation with the enemy straight away before 'discerning in the Spirit' how God wants us to act. The apostle Paul does not want to 'quench' the Spirit's activity because counterfeit activity is taking place so he waits for prompting from God as to the 'when' to confront. He sticks to God's timetable, not his own. We must do the same and be open to receive the Holy Spirit's discernment.
Let's briefly walk over the steps Paul treads as he confronts the situation:
- HE TURNS ROUND (v18). There is a time to carry on regardless and a time to turn round and face something head on. When the Holy Spirit at work within us takes a step which involves turning round we must be tuned in to keep in step and turn around.
- HE SPEAKS TO THE ISSUE (v18). Paul has the confidence to do this because he is in regular prayerful communication with God and urges us to practice the same: be constant in prayer (Romans 12v12); keep on praying (Ephesians 6v18); pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5v17). We can only speak to those mountains and giants we meet based on the strength of our prayer lives. Our spiritual enemy (the devil; ref 1 Peter 5v8) wants to keep us from the place of prayer through any amount of discouragement, doubt and distractions. This is because there is awareness in the spiritual realm that God works His power through our prayers to bring about wonderful results (see James 5v16). A prayerful life is a firm foundation to speak to each obstacle thrown at us in confident expectation God will act.
- HE SPEAKS THE NAME OF JESUS (v18). The bible is crystal clear: There is no other name higher than the name of Jesus (Philippians 2v9) and we are advised that everything has been placed under his authority (Ephesians 1v22; Heb 2v8). We are to keep the words of Jesus ever before us:
You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it (John 14v14).
- HE COMMANDS THE ENEMY (v18). Paul commands the evil spirit to leave the girl. This presses the point about the authority in the name of Jesus still further. In the name of Jesus we can pull rank on the enemy and command compliance. This does not involve stamping our feet and demanding of God but simply laying hold of God's promises as we confront that which confronts us. Let's be bold:
The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world (1 John 4v4)
- THE COMMAND IS ABSOLUTE (v18). Paul commands the enemy to move out NOW. In other words, not simply to hang around for a bit and leave when in the mood. God is always working for our good (Romans 8v28) whereas our spiritual enemy is always looking to devour us (1 Peter 5v8). God wants to dwell in us by His Spirit and to drive out opposing influences. Let's declare 'no compromise' to the enemy as we command him to leave in the name of Jesus.
Summary of results in looking for the place of prayer:
- A life is set free
- A culture of selfish gain and exploitation is reversed (the slave girl owners realise that their meal ticket is gone)
- The counterfeit work of our spiritual enemy is exposed and dealt with
- The absolute sovereignty and authority of God is revealed
A final note about the place of prayer:
The place of prayer is wherever and whenever we are talking to God in prayer. Whilst it's good to set aside a particular time and place for this like Jesus who often went off to an isolated place alone and prayed (Mk 1v35; 6v46, Luke 5v16; 6v12; 9v18; 11v1) we mustn't be legalistic about this, meaning the question is not necessarily when and where are we praying but rather ARE WE ENJOYING A VIBRANT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD; practicing His presence everyday at work or play, when washing, cleaning or gardening, surrounded by people or alone in a quiet place? That question should not make us feel condemned but simply clarifies 'The ultimate battleground' for each one of us. Let us journey boldly to that battleground (the place of prayer). After all, God has given us 'the ultimate victory' through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15v57).
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